Top Fuel Trivia

Trans-Am Jim · #1 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 07:23 AM

Saw this on the FE forum and thought you guys might enjoy it:

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•One top fueler's 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower then the first 8 rows at Daytona
•Under full throttle, a AA/TF engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded 747 but with 4 times the energy volume.
•The supercharger takes more power to drive then a stock hemi makes.
•Even with nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.
•Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
•At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro), the flame front of nitromethane measures 7050 degrees F.
•Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
•Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression-plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting off it's fuel flow.
•If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or blow the block in half.
•Top Fueler's twist the crank (torsionally) so far (20 degrees in the big end of the track) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to synchronization with the pistons.
•To exceed 300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an averageof over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.
•If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.
•A Top Fueler reaches over 300 miles per hour before you have read this sentence.

Jimbo

petek · #2 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 08:19 AM

WOW!

An old line that I heard some time ago: If racing improves the breed, drag racing improves brakes.

Ikestaa · #3 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 09:15 AM

WOW is right. Those are some awesome statistics. The one bit of trivia that I like (because I am a turbo man) is the fact that top fuel teams started to develop turbocharged cars in the 80's. But since no drivetrains could stand up to the power, the NHRA outlawed them.

RACER X #99 · #4 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 02:56 PM

Ike,
I dont know how old you are but" Ohio" George Montgomery was running turbocharged Ford Cammers back in the sixties , also ran some Boss 429 Hemis with turbochargers.Not in Top Fuelers But in early Funnycars.

Cranky

computerworks · #5 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RACER X #99
Ike,
I dont know how old you are but" Ohio" George Montgomery was running turbocharged Ford Cammers back in the sixties , also ran some Boss 429 Hemis with turbochargers.Not in Top Fuelers But in early Funnycars.

Cranky

computerworks · #6 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 03:18 PM

RACER X #99 · #7 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 03:54 PM

Ron,
Those were the days.I remember Dyno Don came to a dragstrip in Central NJ (Manville airport) with a 1962 409 Chevy. He ran an unbeleivable at the time (1962) 13.02 and the crowd went wild.
They certainly have come a long way.

Cranky

Ikestaa · #8 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 04:20 PM

RACER X 99,
That was definately before my time. But it is pretty amazing what a couple of turbos can do. I attatched a couple pictures of an R33 Skyline. I would say 1200AWHP at 42 pounds of boost is a good start. So far it has run an 8.96 at a 160mph. Yeah buddy!

RACER X #99 · #9 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 04:40 PM

Ike,
My nephew is stationed in Japan and is running a lot of Road races in his spare time. He is threatening to bring one of those Skylines home and kick some Cobra butt at the Glen.

Cranky

Ikestaa · #10 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 04:52 PM

Unless he put it on a serious diet, I don't think you've got anything to worry about. The R34 weighs in at about 3400 pounds, although it is a featherweight compared to my VR4

750hp · #11 (**permalink**) 01-17-2003, 03:11 AM

Ikestaa... don't you just love a guy that has the balls to run those big turbos without waste gates!!!!!

Let's see what the air-shifted G-Force trans can do for his times in the near future.....

Ikestaa · #12 (**permalink**) 01-17-2003, 06:26 AM

750hp,
I hate to burst your bubble, but he is running wastegates. In the first picture you can see three exhaust pipes. One from each turbo, and the third, smaller one comes from the two wastegates.

Slick67 · #13 (**permalink**) 01-17-2003, 12:02 PM

come on now cranky i would never bring back one of those rice burners!! i have a real car. Them there GT-R's are junk. The 4 wheeler drive system is crap. I have put 4 front diffs in already. they hunt and pull all over the place when u put your foot in it. I went and rebuilt the front suspension and it was no better. There fast but not that fast. I've been in faster but im going stick with my 67!

take care going to play in the big sandbox for awhile see ya's in May when i come home

RACER X #99 · #14 (**permalink**) 01-17-2003, 04:14 PM

Hey Guys, That's my nephew proving me wrong again.

Be careful out there.
Uncle cranky